1. Field of the Invention
As classified by and in the United States Patent Office this invention is found in the General Class entitled, "Package Making" (Class 53) and the subclasses entitled, "Vertically formed, filled and sealed tubular package" (subclass 451) and the subclass "Multirow" (subclass 546).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Packaging in and by a continuous motion is very well known as well as form, filling and sealing. In prior art devices the form filling and sealing apparatus usually employs a single feeding spout or device usually disposed in a vertical attitude. One or two films are arranged to produce a tubular form which is longitudinally sealed with a transverse seal to form a pouch. Among patents of interest are U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,327 to SIMMONS issued on May 17, 1977 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,944 to SJOSTRAND issued on Apr. 4, 1978. In these and other patents and known apparatus the longitudinal seal is usually made with ribbons or rollers and the seal may not be as full or as secure as that made with a flat seal bar of a determined time period.
The present invention provides for the forming of a U-shaped pouch or pocket made with longitudinal and transverse seals and formed with a seal bar or U or V-shape. The pouches so formed after the sealing of the sides and transverse are then partially open and are disposed in and around a spigot or spout to provide a means for filling of the pouch. This spout means, which may be a plurality of spouts, at an angle or like angles of ten degrees or vertically greater. This spout may be a single spout or may be a plurality or like spouts which are within the pouch or pouches as formed and as to be hereinafter more fully described.
The embodiment shown provides a package formed with two films and with the formation of the U-shaped pocket around a nozzle that provides a discharge of a measured amount of material. The pocket has the sides of the dies skewed to accommodate the formation around said nozzle. After filling, the pocket is sealed at the open end by the same dies that form the empty pocket around the nozzle. The formation and sealing occur at a time when the films are at a stop or with substantially no forward movement. The filling through the nozzle is made during that time when the pocket is advanced.
The invention contemplates the use of an upper and lower film which is sealed together at their edges and transversely to form a pouch or pocket which may be "one up" or may be a plurality of pouches or pockets of like size and configuration, if desired, or may be pouches or unequal size. The size and configuration of the pouch or pocket is strictly a matter of selection but it is to be noted that the upper and lower film are moved at a determined rate and in way of a filling spout. The pocket or pouch formation is a matter of selection so that the pouches are configured and advanced with the films at a like speed.